Package and insert label



March 12, 1968 F. PETERSON 3,373,045

PACKAGE AND INSERT LABEL Filed Sept. 27, 1965 PLASTIC WRAPPER /6 PRESSURE SENSITIVE if ADHESIVE /3 LABEL.

INK IMPERVIOUS COATING f 7-: 3 f 5T4 sEE COUPON /3 COUPON ON REVERSE SIDE . Name A D Address l3 COUPON W IIVVEIVTOR. Name HAROLD 3 BY E a;

EH4 A United States Patent 3,373,045 PACKAGE AND INSERT LABEL Harold F. Peterson, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Armour and Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 490,392 4 Claims. (Cl. 99-171) This invention relates to a package and insert label, and more particularly to a food package and a coupon label fixed Within the package and bearing imprinting visible from outside the package, the label being removable and directly attachable to mailing pieces, etc.

The use of coupons within packages such as food packages, etc., presents problems because when the coupon, in order to prevent pilferage, etc., is enclosed within a sealed package, notice of the coupon must be provided in some manner visible from the exterior of the package, and because the coupon, in contact with food, presents a hazard by reason of ink migration or wicking. Further, the trouble involved in recovering and saving the coupon and forwarding the same tends to discourage use of the promotion.

I have discovered that by combining the coupon and notice in a single label having a pressure-sensitive coating on one side for releasably attaching it to the wrapper and thus utilizing the wrapper for protecting one side of the label, and by employing a protective coating for the other side of the label, the label presents no hazard to food material while at the same time enabling the user, after unsealing the package, to remove the composite coupon and notice and to attach the coupon with its own adhesive directly to a mailing piece, etc., thus making the effort required for packaging in the first place and later utilizing the coupon a matter of little effort and expense.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a package and an insert label having the properties and the advantages above described. Other specific objects and ad vantages will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention is shown, in an illustrative embodiment, by the accompanying drawing, in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a package equipped with a removable insert label in accordance with my invention; FIG. 2, an enlarged broken sectional detail view, the section being taken as indicated at line 22 of FIG. 1; FIG. 3, a plan view of the outer face of the coupon label; FIG. 4, a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the reverse side of the wrapper which constitues a coupon; and FIG. 5, a plan view of a mailing piece, such as a postcard, etc., to which the couplon is attached by its pressure-sensitive adhesive.

In the illustration given, designates a formed plastic sheet providing a receptacle for food material, and 11 designates a plastic cover for the receptacle having its border portions united to the receptacle 10 by heat-sealing, adhesive, or any other suitable means. In the specific illustration given, the receptacle 10 contains frankfurters 12 as illustrative of food products which may be packaged. It will be understood that luncheon meats, and a great variety of meats and other food materials may be packaged within the receptacle 10 and protected from ink in a manner which will be later described.

In the practice of packaging frankfurters, meats and other products, it is common to pass a sheet of plastic material through a former which provides the receptacle 10, as illustrated in the drawing, while another sheet of plastic, which is unformed, is, similarly passed through the machine and later united to the receptacle while at the same time a vacuum is drawn upon the receptacle as it is being sealed.

In the practice of my invention, I provide a label 13 having imprinting upon its outer side 14, as shown in FIG. 3, and imprinting also on its inner side 15. The label 13 preferably has on its outer side, which is visible through the transparent plastic cover 11, advertising material including a notice of the coupon on the reverse side thereof. On the side 15, the coupon itself is printed, with the usual information as to redemption, etc., and, if desired, the coupon may provide space for the signature and address of the user. The printing on both sides 14 and 15 preferably terminates at a spaced distance from the edges of the label so as to minimize the possibility of ink migration or wicking.

The composite label, providing on one side a coupon notice and on the other side the coupon itself, may be formed of a single material. I prefer to use a metal foil, such as aluminum foil, upon which the coupon notice is printed, and a backing formed of cardboard or other suitable material. However, if desired, a cellulose sheet or any other unitary material may be used for the label.

As shown best in FIG. 2, the label 113 is provided on its outer side with a layer of pressure-sensitive material 16 by which it is releasably anchored to the inside of the unformed plastic cover 11. The opposite side of the label 13 is covered with an ink-impervious coating 17 such as a polyethylene or other plastic coating having a low vapor transmission rate. For example, the coating known as Elvax provides a satisfactory non-toxic, ink-impervious coating.

In FIG. 5 there is shown a postcard 18 to which the coupon 13, after removal from the package wrapper, may be attached for mailing to the redemption oflice or source.

Operation In the pack-aging of the product, such as frankfur-ters 12, the plastic film which forms the receptacle 10* is passed through a known forming machine and the franlcfurters 12 inserted therein and enclosed on all sides except the top. Similarly, the unformed sheet which forms the cover 11 is fed forwardly in the same machine, and as it is fed forwardly, parent pressurecensitive adhesive is applied to the underside of the unformed sheet 11. This application may be by the use of known machines employing air jets which move the label 13 upwardly and press it into a desired position along one side of the cover 11, with the side 14 then becoming visible from outside the package. In the above operation, the combined members '10 and 11, with the frankfurter contents in place, are heatesealed, preferably under vacuum, to provide a closed pack-age con-taining the frankfurters.

The purchaser of the food package, after opening the package can readily remove the label '13 by peeling it and the attached pressure-sensitive adhesive from the inner surface of the cover sheet 11. The label may then be attached by its contained adhesive directly to the card 18 or to an insert for a letter or other mailing niece. If it is desired that the purchaser sign the coupon, the coupon is then held in position so that this can be accomplished with a minimum of effort. If desired, the name and address may, instead, be written upon the postcard or other mailing piece. In either event, there is a minimum of effort required and the coupons so recovered can be collected with a minimum of effort and returned subse quently to the redemption source by the user. The redemption personnel, if they have any question as to the authenticity, or genuineness of the coupon, can readily detach the coupon from the card 18 to observe the printed material on the opposite side thereof.

In the foregoing operation, a single label, with its layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive, accomplishes, in conjunction with the protective film of the wrapper itself, all the necessary functions of the promotion and at minimum expense while requiring little effort from the purchaser. The transparent pressure-sensitive adhesive may be any the label 13 hearing on its upper surface transof the rubber, latex or vinyl type pressure-sensitive adhesive s now employed in conjunction with adhesive tapes, etc., and since the formulae therefor are well known, a. further description herein is believed unnecessary.

' While, in the foregoing specification, I have set forth structure and procedure in considerable detail for the purpose of illustrating embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that such details may \be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention I claim:

1. In combination with a food package having a wrapper with a transparent cover, a removable insert label secured by transparent pressure-sensitive adhesive to the underside of the wrapper cover, said label being imprinted upon its outer side facing said wrapper with notice information, and upon its reverse side with a coupon, said reverse side being covered with a non-toxic, ink-impervious coating, whereby the purchaser, after opening the package, may peel off the label and apply it to a forwarding mailing piece.

2. The product of claim 1 in which the label is formed of a metal foil material.

3. In a food package having a plastic sheet formed to provide a receptacle open at its top and containing food and an unformed transparent plastic cover sheet united at its borders to said plastic receptacle, an insert label imprinted upon its outer side facing said cover with information material and on its reverse side with a coupon imprint, said coupon imprint being covered with a non-toxic, ink-impervious coating, and a layer of transparent pressure-sensitive adhesive permanently adhered to the outer side of said label and releasably anchoring said label to the underside of said unforined plastic cover.

4. The structure of claim 3 in which the imprinting on the outer and the reverse sides of said label terminates at a spaced distance from the sides of the label.

No references cited.

A. LOUIS MONACELL, Primary Examiner.

R. V. FISHER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A FOOD PACKAGE HAVING A WRAPPER WITH A TRANSPARENT COVER, A REMOVABLE INSERT LABEL SECURED BY TRANSPARENT PRESSURE-SENSITIVE ADHESIVE TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE WRAPPER COVER, SAID LABEL BEING IMPRINTED UPON ITS OUTER SIDE FACING SAID WRAPPER WITH NOTICE INFORMATION, AND UPON ITS REVERSE SIDE WITH A COUPON, SAID 